Background:Many children in Nigeria suffer from detrimental, debilitating and
lifelong neurologic disorders, many of which are highly preventable using
simple, cost-effective interventions. Objective: To examine the pattern
of neurological disorders among children presenting at the neurology unit of
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital Amaku, Awka, Nigeria. Methods: A retrospective review of the hospital records of children who presented at
the Paediatric Neurology Unit between 1st March 2020 and 31st March 2022 was
carried out. Data were abstracted using a proforma and analyzed using SPSS Version 21. Results: A total of 138 children aged 0 to 15 years were seen in the unit during the
period under review. 115 (83.35%)
of these children were diagnosed with chronic neurological disorders. Those
with chronic neurological disorders had a male:female ratio of 1.9:1, and the majority (65%) of
them were below 5 years of age. The mostcommon presenting complaints were delayed milestones
(43.4%), seizures (23.8%), and
speech disorders (17.2%). The most typical diagnosis was cerebral palsy (CP) (34.7%),
seizure disorder (29.8%) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (8.9%). Perinatal
asphyxia (47.7%), neonatal jaundice (17.0%) and central nervous system
infections (CNS) infections (12.5%) were identified as the major risk factors
responsible for these neurologic disorders. Conclusion: Cerebral palsy
and seizure disorders constitute the major neurological disorders among
children seen in our institution. Efforts should be intensified at reducing the
incidence and impact of perinatal asphyxia, neonatal jaundice and CNS
infections, identified as the major culprits, to curb the menace of these
debilitating lifelong neurologic sequelae.
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